Wireless communication systems are rapidly growing in usage. Further, wireless communication technology has evolved from voice-only communications to also include the transmission of data, such as Internet and multimedia content.
Subscribers in a wireless telecommunication network (e.g., a cellular telecommunication network) are typically assigned subscriber identity information, which may for example be stored as part of a subscriber identity module (SIM) in the subscriber's user equipment (UE) device. As one example, subscribers in 3GPP (LTE/GSM/UMTS) networks have an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) that identifies them in their carrier's network.
It is common practice for a SIM to be installed on a physical chip or card, which may be provided separately from a UE. Thus, in order to obtain a UE and be provided with service for the UE, a user may need to obtain the UE (e.g., from a wireless device vendor) and separately obtain a SIM card (e.g., from a service provider) and install it in the UE. Requiring multiple steps and interaction with both a wireless device vendor and a service provider in order to obtain service for a UE may be an annoyance for the end user. In addition, the requirement that a user remove the old SIM card, obtain a new physical SIM card, and install the new SIM card in order to change service providers may represent an additional cause of frustration to end users, and may represent a psychological barrier to switching service providers, which may indirectly result in higher costs and/or lower quality of service for the user.
The practice of using removable physical SIM cards also leaves much to be desired for service providers. As one example, using this approach requires service providers to manufacture and/or order the physical SIM cards, which represents a significant expense. In addition, keeping an inventory of physical SIM cards represents an additional set of expenses, both in terms of storage and shipping, and in terms of inventory management. Furthermore, the SIM cards may need to be provisioned well in advance of their use, which may represent an additional expense, as some or all of the provisions (e.g., IMSIs, etc.) may have a cost basis. Thus, a SIM card which sits in inventory and is not used may represent a wasted expense for service providers for a variety of reasons.
Accordingly, considering the non-trivial disadvantages of removable physical SIM cards, improvements in the field would be desirable.